Stakeholders task Borno on unemployment

Three Non-Governmental Organisations (NGOs), the Centre for Peace, Diplomatic and Development Studies (CPDDS), Women Peace and Security Network and the Nigeria Security Reconciliation Programme (NSRP) have asked the Borno State government to address the high rate of unemployment and poverty among the youths.

The groups stated this yesterday at a stakeholders’ workshop to discuss the rising cases of unemployment and poverty in the state.

Participants further advised the state government to domesticate the United Nations Resolution 1325 of the State Action Plan (SAP) document.

The document, according to them, addresses issues such as gender violence and other related offences.

This was disclosed by the CPDDS Director, Prof. Michael Noku in a keynote address at the event.

According to him: “The rising cases of violence perpetrated by insurgents in Borno State was caused by unemployment, poverty and injustice. Governor Kashim Shettima should initiate policies that would tackle these problems among the youths.”

The SAP implementation, he said, was to address issues such as girl-child education, gender-based violence and other related offences.

He, however, noted that there would always be obstacles to peace in the state and the North East sub-region of the country.

Noku said: “An idle, snooker-playing youth with no identifiable skill or visible means of livelihood will most likely become vulnerable to negative tendencies and may constitute a threat to the society.”

The stakeholders observed that women and children are the most vulnerable during conflicts.